Blog

April 24, 2010

The first family we visited came to the U.S. from Nepal. The family included the father, mother, two sons, eight and three years old, and a six week old baby girl. They came to Phoenix in November 2009 from San Jose, California where they lived for one year. The parents were originally from Bhutan but fled the country with their parents because of the violence. They lived in refugee camps for almost 17 years where they met and married. The oldest children were born in the camps. The father had his own business in Nepal selling seasonal fruit. The mother was a seamstress. The father is currently working at the airport.

The second family included a mother, her two sons and their wives, and four grandchildren. One son has three children ages 10, 7, and 4. The second son has a baby boy 1 month old. The mother and sons fled Bhutan in 1991 and lived in camps in Nepal. Their homes there were small bamboo huts. The mother’s husband died in the camp. The oldest son and his wife were teachers in Nepal. Another son studied outside the camps but later returned. They arrived in Arizona in September 2009. One of the sons is working at the airport.

The third family also came to Arizona from Nepal. They include the father, mother, a son and his wife. The parents and son arrived in June 2009. He met his wife here in Arizona and they were married on January 28, 2010. Another brother arrived on April 3. The were also originally from Bhutan and fled the violence there in 1990. They had worked as farmers in Bhutan. They were not allowed to work in the refugee camps in Nepal. The son works in the Rental Car section of the airport. The parents have three other family members in the U.S., 1 sister in Texas and 2 sisters in New Hampshire. Another family member is still in Nepal, while one brother remains in Bhutan.